


The Revived Sapphire

by Kit2000andAnna



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: AU, F/M, Falling In Love, Sapphire - Freeform, Supernatural - Freeform, precious gem, turning into human
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:00:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24777295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kit2000andAnna/pseuds/Kit2000andAnna
Summary: "The Beauty of the Seven Seas" was the gem's name."You are a real beauty," he murmured, caressing the hard navy surface of the sapphire on his palm. A sudden flash, a strange girl in his arms - and Kaito Kid lost his name of being the master of Poker Face."Maybe you will tell me your name?"he asked the stranger. "It's The Beauty of the Seven Seas," was her melodic reply.
Relationships: Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan/Mouri Ran, Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid & Mouri Ran, Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid/Nakamori Aoko
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**The Revived Sapphire**

It was a nice heist, one of those, when you feel your spirits go up on the unbelievable heights.

Kaito KID was proud of himself. Not only did he fool the Task Force for the innumerous time, but he also managed to steal the biggest sapphire in the whole world, and it was not the easiest thing to do. All thanks to that old geezer Suzuki Jiroichi. His desire to beat the infamous Kaito KID was maniacal. But if not for that old man’s ambitions and private collection of treasures, the said Phantom Thief wouldn’t have got the opportunity to lay his white-gloved hands on this navy-blue beauty.

The man in white grinned to himself and clapped his shoulder in a moment of self-pride.

The heist went smoothly indeed. Standing on a rooftop, he reached for his inner pocket only to take out a dark-blue gem, which he gripped in his hand as a reward for all the troubles he had faced that night. “The Beauty of the Seven Seas” was the gem’s name and looking at its surface Phantom Thief noticed why. As he examined the precious stone carefully, he saw that its shape was made in a wave style with hundreds or even thousands of faceting. It shone so brightly in the dim light of the pale moon that Kaito KID breathed out in admiration. Being a thief gave him a chance to see lots of masterpieces of precious stones, but never did he have his eyes on such gorgeousness.

“You are a real beauty,” he murmured, caressing the hard navy surface on his palm, which sent another portion of shining performance from the gem’s side. He didn’t know why, but the item in his hand drew all of his attention and affection. It was a real piece of art, created by a very gentle and caring hand.

“I’m frustrated. As much as I want you to be the gem I’m searching for, I also don’t want you to be it,” he addressed to the sapphire in a whining tone. “I really don’t want to crash you into pieces in case you are indeed Pandora.”

The man in white watched as the gem glittered in his hand as if it was answering him. He chuckled lightly.

“I guess I’m getting paranoid. I have never been talking to any of my previous “hostages” before. Oh, well,” Kaito KID looked intently at the trophy again and smiled happily at his reflection in hundreds of little faceted mirrors. “You are really something extraordinary. And please, forgive me if you turn out being the gem wanted by criminals. I truly like you and don’t want to destroy such a beauty as you are,” with those words Kaito KID pressed his lips softly to the giant sapphire and for a moment he thought he felt warmth coming from it. It was just an instant sensation, so he didn’t pay much attention at first, but when he lifted the precious stone up in order to look at it through the moonlight, he couldn’t ignore the strange feeling anymore. The sapphire didn’t end up being Pandora after all, and to tell the truth, Phantom Thief was relieved, but it didn’t change the fact that something was terribly wrong with this gem. As he gripped it tightly in his still extended hand, he felt a throbbing, as if he was holding a beating heart. That thought freaked the famous KID out. Poker Face slid down his face and gave its place to a mask of anxiety.

The sapphire kept on throbbing, increasing the pulsation, not mentioning that it was becoming too hot to hold.

When the man was about to drop it in fear, the gem blinded him with pure-blue shine. It was so bright that he had to shut his eyes and cover them with his free hand. The shine was just like a real flash of light, and KID knew, that he wasn’t the only one who had witnessed the phenomena. He was sure that tomorrow’s news would make up some lame story about UFO invasion or a catastrophe at the central electric power station.

But he longed to know what this was all about. He was curious by nature and even a threat of becoming completely blind couldn’t stop him from making a sneak peek at the gem, which, he believed, was still gripped in his hand.

Phantom Thief slowly and carefully opened his eyes, since the bright shine hadn’t subsided yet, and shifted his gaze on his lifted hand. And that was just in time, because the next moment his pupils widened in disbelief as he witnessed a young woman falling on him from that blinding blue light. Her figure was glowing as if she was coming out from another, undiscovered dimension.

The view was definitely breath-taking and even heart-attacking, if you remember the circumstances the whole scene happened under, but Kaito KID didn’t have time to get caught in a moment of fantasy, because his hands, arms and chest suddenly felt a tangible weight that was about to knock him off his feet. Well-trained reflexes did their work perfectly as he reached out just in time to catch the falling stranger in his arms and embrace her tightly in order to prevent them both from falling on a concrete floor of the high-building rooftop.

For a moment he didn’t know what to do or think. Everything happened in a blink of an eye. Just several minutes ago he had come from a magnificent heist and was checking if the gem he had stolen was Pandora or not, and now, after a spectacular pyrotechnical show he was holding a girl in his arms, while the said gem was nowhere in sight.

KID glanced around quickly to assess the situation, before his eyes fell on the female, whose sudden appearance just shook his night upside down.

His arms were wrapped around her petite frame protectively, since she was locked in his embrace while pressing her palms softly to his chest. In that position he didn’t see her face, but only the crown of her curly uncontrollable hair of dark-chocolate colour.

His true identity was screaming in his head to push her away. He didn’t know who she was and what she was up to. Her mysterious appearance out of nowhere proved that she was dangerous. And the fact that he had never had a woman that close to his body only made everything worse. Only now did he notice her being trembling from the cool night air and a cold surface of the rooftop they were standing on. And only then did he realize that the female in his arms was absolutely naked. His white gloves absorbed the sweat of his palms as the thought of the current situation crossed his mind.

That night you could become a witness of how Kaito KID’s Poker Face failed twice in a row. But that was only his fault that he couldn’t keep his emotions under control.

Now there was a prior urgency in finding out, who the girl was and hide somewhere before the police or Black organization showed up and found them.

With an uneasy gulp, he looked down at the trembling creature in his arms and scolded himself mentally for not helping her out. Maybe she was a stranger, but she was still a girl, a nude girl, who was terribly cold. He was a gentleman after all, and leaving a damsel in distress wasn’t in his style.

“Hey,” he said in a hushed tone, addressing to the girl. By the sound of his voice she flinched and slowly looked up, unsurely and somewhat timidly. If he thought that tonight had become the first night, when he lost his Poker Face twice, he was harshly mistaken. It was the first night when his Poker Face came to grief three times in a row.

The moment he saw her face, he thought, he forgot how to breathe. He didn’t know how to describe her. She looked young, maybe 18 years old. She had long wavy hair that uncontrollably stuck in different sides, though that hairstyle was appealing. Her nose was a little pointed one. Perfectly shaped were her rosy lips and her eyes…

He was lost of words to give the accurate description of her eyes. The only thing he knew was that he had never seen anything more mesmerizing than her eyes in his whole life. Not only were they big and sincerely innocent just like of a small child, but they held mystery. Under the light of the pale moon he saw them shining, shimmering like two precious sapphires. Her pupils were usual, but the irises were as if you were looking at the night sky decorated with thousands of twinkling, glittering stars.

And she was looking at him with those eyes, in which he could recognize trusting curiosity and naivety. Kaito KID let out a deep breath he didn’t know he was holding. Her big sapphire eyes widened even more, and he could swear he got caught in the endless universe of the shining invisible crystals, which were hidden deep in her mirrors of soul.

This strange moment had no chance to last any longer as the thief’s absolute hearing recognized a familiar signal of the police sirens.

Cursing mentally for his negligence and inattention, he deftly took off his cloak, making sure not to look at his naked companion.

She watched his every move with great interest, as she stood just a few centimeters away from him, pressing her hands to her chest in cold. The next moment he slipped the cloak on her, like a magician always did during his performance, where he made something disappear from a table.

“I don’t know who you are, but it’s too dangerous to stay here. In two minutes inspector Nakamori and his Task Force along with the reporters and mass media will be here. I’ll hide you somewhere on the ground,” while telling those words he carefully span her covered form around until he made sure that the needed result had been reached.

The next moment he took off the cloak from the girl - he saw her standing before him in a blinding-white ankle-length dress with long sleeves.

The thief was proud of his work as he watched her lips spread into a smile of excitement, when she looked down at herself. Her unruly hair was taken in a low ponytail, decorated with a sparkling hairpin of a rose design.

“A bride,” he noted mentally and felt stupid and embarrassed at the same time.

While he was clipping his white cloak back on his shoulders, the girl looked up at him again and with a broad smile and utterly shining eyes she closed the small distance between them and pressed herself to him the very same manner she had being before, laying her head on his chest and breathing out delightedly.

Phantom Thief lost his name of being the master of Poker Face again, for the 4th time that night. This girl acted very strange and suspicious. He wasn’t used to women’s touches and the fact that she decided to glue herself to him was frustrating and embarrassing him to no limits.

He wanted to think about the salvation of the whole situation more carefully but the sound of coming sirens brought him back to reality.

He wrapped his arms around her unsurely. He couldn’t leave her here after all, that’s why he activated his pointed glider. They **_had_** to run away **_together_**. Maybe he had lost the gem, but he didn’t want the police or somebody else to find him and this lady in a compromising pose. And the gem, well, if inspector Nakamori would find it, then KID would consider it returning the larceny back as he always did. 

It wasn’t Pandora after all.

With one swift motion Kaito KID deftly picked up the shining beauty in his arms in a bridal style and walked to the very edge of the rooftop, from the height of which you could see the night city, illuminated with thousands of lights.

The girl squealed softly in surprise, when her body had been lifted up all of a sudden. She looked at the man’s face with her big shimmering blue eyes and smiled the moment his gaze fell on her face.

“I hope you don’t have anything against a night flight, fair lady,” he said smoothly in a tone he usually used to court women during his heists.

The girl just tilted her head to the side quizzically, never leaving her miraculous eyes from the white magician.

KID just chuckled. She was something so unusual.

“Maybe you will tell me your name then?” he smiled softly at her with a wink.

When he made a step forward and lost the ground under his feet, which caused them both to fall and then pick up the height, the girl uttered timidly in a pleasant melodic voice.

“My name is “The Beauty of the Seven Seas”.”

He was about to say his catchphrase as he usually did during the heists, but his brain reacted faster and registered her words just in time. His face, along with the Poker Face, fell slowly yet surely, as a grimace of unbelievable shock appeared on it like a thunder in the cloudless sky.

“WHAT???!!!” 

The dove-white glider took the famous Kaito KID and his precious cargo deeper into the night sky of the city. Little did they know that Inspector Nakamori, who had just come to the rooftop with several policemen, was cursing loudly to KID’s retreating back, shaking his fist in a sign of imminent punishment.

And that was how the story began…


	2. Chapter 2

The girl was sitting in a cozy living-room of Kaitou KID’s safest shelter, which was his own sweet home. He couldn’t think of any other places to take her after she had shocked him with her name that was uncharacteristic for humans.

And now she was watching quietly as the man in white measured the room in a rapid pace and rubbed his chin in a deep thought. She really didn’t understand why he was so perplexed. She believed that she had already answered all of his questions but he didn’t seem to look satisfied at all. He was so strange to her eyes, yet at the same time there was a strong aura of tranquility coming from him and she couldn’t but enjoy that sensation.

Her train of thoughts was abruptly ruined by the thief’s sudden halt. He stood still in the middle of the room as if he represented himself as a marble sculpture, created by a very talented hand. The girl tilted her head to a side, just like a little bird did when it got overwhelmed with interest. He was so funny to watch. She didn’t notice how her lips spread into a smile and a light giggle escaped her throat. But the next moment Kaitou KID turned his head and sent her a piercing gaze, under which she shuddered unwittingly.

He was about to ask her something, but the view of magical glittering eyes just disturbed the judgement. Taking a hold of his emotions, he came closer to the stranger and sat on a coffee table across from her.

The girl just blinked in anticipation of his next actions.

They both didn’t know it, but right now they looked like a perfect match with their pure-white suits and similar unbreakable eye-lock. It could be funny if only it wasn’t so serious.

“Okay, now you tell me everything again,” he stated firmly and his gaze became even more intense. 

The girl blinked again and then smiled beamingly, blinding him with the shining effect of her eyes.

“From the very beginning?” she asked merrily. For some unknown reason, she loved being interrogated by him. She enjoyed the concentrated expression on his face and the smooth sound of his voice. She swam in delight every time he addressed to her. After the moment she had told him her name during their night flight, he hadn’t drop a word to her regret, but his face looked so funny with his mouth wide agape and his eyes as round as spheres. She remembered reaching this place smoothly and but in complete silence.

When they stepped into the room, he had finally let her know that he wanted some explanations. And she believed that she had already given them as he wanted, but now he was demanding for a repeat.

“Yes, I want to hear the whole story again, especially the part where you turned into a human,” the man spoke and took off his top hat. That night felt like eternity. He was tired, exhausted mentally and physically. And he had no clue why he was punished with this precious “gift” in the girl’s person.

“I mean,” he started again, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose to ease the tension. His eyes still hurt after the blinding effect of this girl’s spectacular appearance back on the rooftop. “If you are really “The Beauty of the Seven Seas”, I have to return you to your owner in your gem form. I may be a thief, but I have my own code of honour. If the gem I steal is not Pandora, I always give it back. But now I have no ideas how I am suppose to do it if you have turned into a girl,” he sighed uneasily and glanced at the lady before him. Why she was smiling at him so cutely he couldn’t tell even if you asked him to, but somehow he felt a familiar aura coming from her. She reminded him of Ran Mouri - a girl from his faculty, whom he had been secretly admiring from their first year in the University. This sapphire girl had a strong resemblance to Ran and it made the whole situation even harder.

“Of course, I am not Pandora, since she is my sister,” she answered cheerfully, clapping her hands like a child.

Kaitou KID choked after hearing her words. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stood up rapidly and unintentionally grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking them as if she was his last hope.

“Tell me where she is! I must find her!”

The girl blinded him with the shine of her precious yet scared eyes for she wasn’t ready for such harsh actions from his side.

“You will never find her,” she uttered slowly.

“What?”

“Pandora is buried in the depths of the Pacific Ocean along with the people who dared to steal us. I tried to persuade her to spare her life, but it was useless. It was her stubborn wish to get lost and never become someone’s property again.”

“Are you sure?!” his voice was loud and desperate, the grip on her shoulders tightened and she winced, shutting her eyes in fear.

The pain on her face cooled his emotions down at once. What was he doing? The realization that he had just hurt her with his talented hands made him feel sick and disgusted of himself. He wasn’t acting like his old self at all!

“Please, forgive me for my rudeness!” he released her hurriedly and made a step back only to hit his leg against the coffee table and stumble over it, performing a spectacular pirouette backwards, which ended with the Phantom Thief’s glorious fall.

The girl’s eyes shot open when she heard a loud thud and yelps of pain. She jumped on her feet and rushed to KID’s sprawled side in attempt of helping him to stand up. Worry could be clearly read on her pretty face. She grabbed his hands and pulled him up as strongly as she could. It wasn’t an easy task since he was too heavy for her. But soon enough the infamous Phantom Thief gained a vertical position again and after ten minutes of groaning and whining in pain, he and his troublesome guest were sitting in his kitchen with him pressing a package of ice to his aching throbbing nape. The monocle was gone from his face; most likely, it had rolled under the table in the room after the grand fall, but right now he didn’t pay much attention to his disguise. His head was throbbing so much, that it felt like hundreds of smiths were trying to forge something out of it, while having it between their hammers and anvils. 

The girl was sitting at the table across from him with endearing expression on her face. She had her hands lying on her knees, as she watched him carefully yet curiously.

After some time of silence, Kaitou KID decided that he was ready to continue their conversation. The headache started to subside slowly and he was utterly glad about it.

“You said that Pandora is lost in the ocean,” he said finally. His voice sounded tired, but his blue eyes were concentrated on her face firmly. He had strong determination to find out the truth.

“Yes,” the girl bit her lip for a moment before she continued, “When Englishmen stole us from one respected Arabic sheikh three hundred years ago, the ship they sailed got into a terrible storm. But even in that dangerous situation, when everyone was struggling for their lives, one of the sailors decided to steal my sister. She was indeed very beautiful sapphire, a lot more beautiful than plain me.”

Kaitou KID frowned. He remembered how this girl looked like as a gem. She was the most gorgeous precious stone he had ever seen in his whole life. Yet, she thought that she was too regular in comparison with Pandora. He could only guess how her sister must have looked liked and why everyone desired to own her.

Her shimmering eyes got sadder as she continued her heartbreaking story.

“She was sick and tired of being someone’s property. I remember what she told me just before the captain of the ship stole me from the burning deckcabin we were being held captive in. She cried that the only thing she wished for was disappearing from this world, so no one would ever touch her with their filthy hands. Then the tongues of flame devoured her and the man, in whose hands she was trapped. He was dead by then, since the ceiling of the deckcabin had crashed on his body, taking his life away instantly. The captain didn’t risk going deeper into the fire, so he just took me and some other reachable treasures and managed to leave the burning sinking ship with the rest five men from his crew.”

She fell silent. By the way she was gripping the fabric of her white dress on her knees, KID could tell that right now she was suffering from recalling the nightmare from the past again. Her story was tragic and it couldn’t but move him to the core.

“So, Pandora is lost forever,” he concluded with a heavy sigh and put the wet package of already melted ice aside. His eyes were glued to the dark surface of the wooden table in a deep thought. 

“Yeah,” the girl answered quietly.

His brilliant brain was occupied with the analysis of the situation he was in. Today he had found out that the gem he dedicated his life to destroy did no longer exist. Was it happiness? Maybe, yes. He had no reason to be KID any longer, but the main meaning of his alter-ego was not just in finding Pandora, but also in avenging his father. Black Organization had killed him because of Pandora. For that Kaitou KID hated the gem with all his heart. He had always thought that it was a curse for the whole human race to have such a dangerous artifact as Pandora and its tears, which could give immortality to anyone, who drank them. But after tonight’s events he found out that the gem was just a victim of humans’ greed and vile desires.

A damsel in distress - that was what Pandora actually was. And she was that strong in spirit that she decided to sacrifice her life to get free from the curse. 

“If only we could stay at sheikh’s palace,” the Beauty of the Seven Seas spoke in a lost tone, “that man wasn’t like any other of our owners. He bought us for his beloved wife and daughter, because the legend says that my sister and I are magical. Pandora was given to sheikh’s wife, while I started to belong to his only daughter. Those women were kind and pure-hearted. They didn’t crash us into pieces to make some jewelry, but they treated us as the most valuable things. We were happy to be in their private collection, but three years later the sheikh’s palace was attacked by Englishmen and they stole us…again.”

When she finished, she looked up at him, not even noticing that her gaze had been attached to her hands during the whole time she was speaking.

When their eyes met KID caught himself on a thought that the girl was attractive and her marvelous glittering blue eyes just added the uniqueness to her natural beauty.

“How many times have you been stolen in the past?” he asked in a sympathetic tone.

“Seventy three times, since I was born as a gem.”

It was hard to imagine how it must be felt being stolen over and over again.

“And today it was the seventy forth one,” he added bitterly, feeling self-reproach. He wasn’t any better than those previous thieves.

“No,” her voice was firm. “Today is different,” she declined with a small smile.

“Heh, I can’t see how it can be any different,” he chuckled sarcastically. “Anyway, is it your first time turning into a human being, or have you practiced it before?”

“It’s the first time,” the girl answered hurriedly and somewhat happily. The Phantom Thief glanced at her again and for innumerous time that night he got blinded with too glaring eyes, which reminded of precious stones of the highest purity in the sunlight. But at the very moment, he thought, that the shine was even brighter than usual.

“It’s strange. Magical. But who am I kidding?” the white thief let out an ironic laugh. “Tell me, sapphire-”

“My name is The Beauty of the Seven Seas,” she interrupted him in an offended tone. Perhaps, she didn’t like when she was addressed to as a gem. Not in her current form, at least.

For a second he really wanted to burst into a long, loud and hysterical laughter. Where did you see a girl with such a name?

“Ah, yes. My apologies,” he hurried to win his good reputation back. “I just wanted to know the main reason why you decided to turn into a human. Or maybe it wasn’t your decision? Did it happen upon some circumstances?”

The sapphire girl’s face lit up with a glowing smile as she answered his questions.

“I turned into a human because you woke me up with your emotions! I sensed your pure heart and good intentions. Usually, when people stole me or owned me the only feelings they had in their hearts were greed and egoism, but yours were different. You held me gently in your hands and when you pressed your lips to me in such a tender and careful way, I got inflamed with a strong wish to see and know you better - a human, whose motives for stealing me were not his personal vice.”

By the expression on his pale face one could say that famous Kaitou KID’s Poker Face had left him as a roof usually leaves someone’s crazy head, waving its hand a goodbye in a process.

“You…you mean… it was me, who turned you into a girl?” he asked, even barked, loudly, losing the last remains of his self-control and sanity.

“Yes!” the girl exclaimed happily and clapped her hands together. “I am so glad to meet you!”

“The pleasure is mine,” his tone was far from a welcoming one. He watched her overwhelmed with optimism as if she didn’t have a problem in her life. Oh, he wanted to be as cheerful and hopeful, but the reality was just too cruel to him.

“I have to give you back to your owner. I must!” he said it more to himself, but his eyes were placed firmly on her.

The girl frowned and pursed up her lips.

“I don’t want to go back! That man is greedy. I hate it when he touches me!” she flinched as unpleasant memories flooded her mind.

He didn’t know what to do. Of course, he could imagine that it was far from pleasant to be touched and treated by the hands you didn’t like. Especially when those hands belonged to Suzuki Jirokichi. But she wasn’t a real girl. She was a precious stone, and being someone’s property was her destiny.

“You have to understand, sapphire,” he started to demand, but was interrupted by her stern glare.

Oh, yes, he had absolutely forgotten that for some unknown reason she didn’t like being called by her natural name. KID cleared his throat and continued in a steady tone.

“I mean, The Beauty of the Seven Seas,” after he corrected himself he received a broad smile of approval from the girl’s side. “I am a thief with my own code of honour. I’ve been stealing precious stones in order to find Pandora. If the gem isn’t her - I always return it back to its owner. And this time isn’t an exception.”

Their eyes met again in a stubborn duel.

“You don’t look like all those people, who desired to own my sister for their wish of playing up to their vanity. Why do you want my sister that much?” she inquired seriously. It was a very personal theme to her, he knew it. But he didn’t want to show his cards and tell her his own personal story. They barely knew each other. It wasn’t in his style to open his heart to a total stranger.

“I have my own reasons and greed or vanity has nothing to do with them,” he told her casually and then his voice became thick and lecturing. “And you must turn back into a gem again, so that I could give you back to the old man.”

“No!” she cut him off decisively.

“Why not?” he threw his hands in the air, losing his patience. “All you need to do is becoming your natural self again!”

“No!” she stood her ground firmly. Where did she get that stubbornness all of a sudden?!

“Why?!”

“Because I don’t want to!” her words sounded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“And what do you want then?” KID plopped his cheek on his knuckle and just watched the sapphire girl intently. He was too tired of this night, of this girl and their futile talk. It was leading nowhere. But the next moment he noticed her eyes becoming brighter, their radiance increased and a huge sunny smile fell on her lips.

Her answer was sung in a beautiful melodic voice, by which he understood that she was indeed happy.

“I want to be with you!”

Kaitou KID blinked once, then twice - she had blinded him with those blazing eyes again. Also he noted that when she felt joyous and positive emotions, her eyes gained deeper colour and started to shine even more strikingly. 

If to be honest, he didn’t know what to say. The girl, who was pretty and unique (if not to say one of a kind) was telling him that she wanted to be with him. Maybe under some other circumstances he would have felt honoured, proud or even happy, but now he felt nothing but confusion and awkwardness. He couldn’t understand why she wanted to be with him or why she was so impressed by him. Her fondness towards him led to all that human transformation. It was a mystery and he didn’t know the solution.

His tangled thoughts were interrupted by her lovely voice again.

“Besides, even if I wanted to turn in a gem again, I don’t know how to do it,” she looked up at the white ceiling, thinking about something.

“Sorry?” that last statement of hers was just too much for his nervous system. “You mean, you have no clue how to get your original form back? How did you transform into a human in the first place then?” there was no end to his bewilderment.

“I don’t know! It’s just happened! I wanted to know you better and I desired for my wish to be fulfilled. I wanted it to come true so much that in the end I turned into a human. I don’t know how to undo this,” the girl explained sincerely. Her shoulders dropped helplessly, since he was asking too much from her after all.

For several minutes they were silent. Nobody knew what to do. Kaitou KID was perfectly sure that he had no such magical power to turn the girl into a sapphire again, though he could be proud of gaining a skill of doing vice versa. But for some reason he didn’t feel any smugness at all. All he knew was that he had a problem, a very big and troublesome problem with the eyes of glowing sapphires.

They said, if you wanted to solve something difficult- do it on your cool head. That’s why he decided to let the situation go until he came up with an idea of putting everything on their places. For now he needed a good rest. He had to go to the University in the morning and it couldn’t be skipped.

“Okay,” the white thief said in a calmer and more confident voice, “We will think about everything tomorrow. There must be a way to solve this mystery.”

“Alright,” she smiled and added, tilting her head to the side. “May I know your name?”

Heh, he didn’t see that coming. But if she was going to spend some time in his apartment, she had a right to address to him by his name. She had already seen his face without disguise, though he didn’t think she knew who he really was. He only hoped that her stay at his house wouldn’t last any longer than one night. He was hoping that the charge of her battery or something like that would soon go low and she would turn into a sapphire again.

“You may call me Kaito,” he winked playfully and received another blast of blinding blaze from her eyes. “You know, we have to do something with your eyes, or else I will become completely blind by the break of dawn.”

Confusion appeared on her pretty face as she reached her hands to her eyes to touch them. “Is anything wrong with my eyes?”

“They shine like diamonds in the sun!” he answered hopelessly, rubbing his own teary eyes to get rid of the dancing stars in them.

“Diamonds?” the girl’s voice exclaimed angrily. “I have nothing in common with those rude and terrible flirts! How dare you compare me with them!”

Kaito sweatdropped. That little outburst was totally unexpected. Who could know that this angelic creature hid a hot temper inside? He had to be careful from now on. More than anything else he didn’t want any unnecessary scandals. The sapphire girl was boring a hole into him with her sharp glaring eyes. He didn’t know the whole story behind that sudden explosion and negativeness towards diamonds, and he was sure he didn’t want to find that out.

“Ah, I didn’t mean to offend you. In our human world it’s a metaphor. All I wanted to say is that your amazing eyes shine so bright that it hurts to look at your face.”

After his explanation she cooled down a little and sat on the chair again, though she didn’t even notice that she had stood up in the first place.

“Oh, I didn’t know that. Our kind is not fond of diamonds and the feeling is equally returned by them,” she spoke quietly, looking down. She remembered him telling that it hurt to look in her eyes, and that felt a little depressing. She liked looking at him. His eyes were so crystal-blue; it was pleasure to gaze in them. Also she enjoyed watching his expressions. His young face showed so many of them, that the girl couldn’t stop admiring it. And his hair…it was unruly and had a nice deep-brown colour. And also he had a rich and somehow soothing voice. This person was ideal to her eyes and ears.

“Heh, I think I don’t want to know the details of your little gems’ war,” he laughed sonorously. Everything seemed so ridiculous. “By the way,” the man suddenly straightened his back and threw a quick glance at her form appraisingly. “If we are going to be stuck together for some time, I mean, I can’t kick you out, since you don’t have anywhere to go right now,” his voice were meaningful, yet sounded teasingly. The girl got interested with his new way of speaking. It was as if he was solving some hard case and spoke his deduction out loud light-heartedly. She looked at him carefully from under her eyelids and saw him tapping his index finger against his chin in a deep thought. His dark eyebrow was arched above his concentrated eye elegantly.

“So,” he continued. “I need a name I could address to you.”

“I have a name,” she stated firmly, furrowing her brows.

“Yeah, it’s very nice and all, but it’s too long to pronounce. We need something shorter and something that will suit your personality,” his lips curved into an intrigued smile. He was enjoying himself, it was clearly obvious.

“But I like my current name,” she didn’t give up.

“Hold on a second, you mean it’s not the only name you had?” surprise could be heard in his velvet voice and the girl encouraged herself to look at him fully. He didn’t complain about becoming blind this time, so she straightened up and placed her gaze on his face.

“During my existence I have been given lots of different names. I got this one about hundred years ago from one Spanish grandee.”

“Oh, now I see. But that man gave you the name because you were a precious stone. And since you are a girl now, you need a girl’s name.”

KID looked at her up and down: a lovely young lady with glittering sapphire eyes dressed in a crystal-white dress. She was a true beauty, but also she was a precious stone. A very rare and gorgeous precious stone to that. A brilliant idea popped up in his calculative brain. He was ready to hug and kiss himself for being such a genius as he was.

“How about “Aoko”?”

The girl tilted her head to the side inquisitively yet cutely. He continued enthusiastically, wishing to see her next reactions.

“In Japanese “Aoko” means “Blue Child”. You are a sapphire, which is blue by nature. It’s almost as if you are called blue gem. But Aoko sound gentler. And it’s a female’s name here. Not a popular one, I must add, but you are a unique girl, so a rare name will suit you greatly, not mentioning that it describes your nature the best.”

“Aoko,” she repeated slowly, trying the name on her tongue, it indeed sounded nice and soft.

A bright and blissful smile appeared on her face, and Kaitou KID had to shut his eyes again, because he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to take another pyrotechnical show that night.

And with his eyes closed, he suddenly felt a strong pressure on his right arm. When he looked at the unexpected source, he was surprised to see his recently stolen precious sapphire hugging him by his arm as she encircled her own slender arms around his, while pressed herself to his shoulder. Her eyes were closed, but her face was glowing in happiness. Unexpectedly to himself, his own lips spread into a soft smile. She acted just like a little child, her reactions were innocent, open-hearted and sincere.

“May I assume that you like your new name, Aoko?”

As a reply to his question, the girl opened her magical eyes and glanced at him. Thanks to their close position, her head was lying on his strong shoulder and her face was just in a few centimeters away from his own.

The sapphires in her eyes were blazing, glittering so magically, that Kaito held his breath. Never in his life did he see such beauty. It was like he was looking at the ocean surface that reflected millions of twinkling stars on the night sky.

And those incredible eyes were looking into his so deeply and with so much gratitude and gentleness: they radiated warmth, not the material one, but the one that enveloped your soul and took your worries away. And also he sensed that she trusted him, trusted with all her gem’s heart. Interesting, did she have a human heart or was there a hard gem of sapphire in her chest? Apparently, not. She was warm, soft and he could clearly sense her joyous heartbeat through the fabric of his sleeve. This girl was flesh and blood and he had no explanation how in the world it was possible.

“It’s the best name I have ever been given! Thank you so much, Kaito!” she chirped happily, hugging his arm even tighter and rubbing her cheek against his shoulder dearly.

“It’s an honour to hear,” he answered with a smile, though his eyes were still gazing into hers. Strange, but when you looked in them from this small distance, they didn’t have that blinding effect, more like an enchanting one.

Believe it or not, but from this moment Kaitou KID had realized that his life decided to make a sharp turn and stand absolutely upside down. This girl had made her entrance into his life from all four sides, or you could call it falling on his head like the moon from the sky.

It was unforeseen, irregular, magical, but as he watched his own reflection in her mesmerizing eyes, he decided to give this situation a chance.

Unexpectedness in his life was almost his profession, ne?


	3. Chapter 3

Kaito Kuroba had never ever thought that he suffered from nose bleeding. Ever since a certain sapphire girl started to live in his apartment - and it had been almost two days now - he found out that girls actually needed some certain pieces of undergarment. There was no problem with a night gown and a bath-robe, since his mother always had those things prepared in case she came home from abroad, but the very underwear was the problem Kaito faced.

Aoko needed those things but he couldn’t or even feared to imagine how it would look like if she went to a store by herself.

A heavy sweatdrop hang on his temple as he stared at the sliding doors of the entrance to a fancy store, which was filled with young females. His body froze and glued itself to the ground. He wasn’t afraid, he was just disorientated. It wasn’t an everyday’s even when he found himself in such a strange and jocular situation.

Okay, first of all he needed to make sure that everything was going according to a plan.

Side pony-tail. In check.

Lip-gloss. In check.

White blouse and breast-cups. In check.

Knee-length school skirt. In check.

Black stockings and shoes. In check.

Okay! His disguise was perfect. He could bet that if his mother met him dressed in such clothes, she would never guess that it was her own beloved son.

Kaito grinned to himself from ear to ear. Self-pride was overwhelming him completely and in that special state of mind he crossed the threshold of the lingerie shop.

Alright, it wasn’t the first time he visited such places. As a master of disguise he loved to do everything on the highest level. And of course he had his own undergarment for the times when he pretended being a woman during the heists. BUT! This case was different. He had to pick up the right size and design for his sapphire “torturer”.

Looking at the fancy bras hanging in a row before his eyes, Kaito face-palmed. His imagination was starting to play dirty tricks like showing the forbidden images of Ran Mouri in this dove-white lacy underwear.

The poor guy had to pinch his nose or else he was risking to be disclosed. And at the same moment an unfamiliar voice called out to him just above his ear.

“May I help you, Miss?”

Kaito almost jumped out of his skin from unexpectedness. He unsurely turned his head to the right to look at the person, who had nearly scared a life out of him.

There stood a young girl with a pleasant smile on her face. By the way she was dressed it was easy to guess that she was a shop assistant who was ready to help a client to pick up the right product. 

Kaito laughed uncharacteristically and answered in a high-pitched voice of a high-school girl.

“Ahahaha, I don’t know. I am looking for a present for my friend.”

The shop assistance’s smile grew wider.

“Okay, which size does she have?”

His expression froze. He felt a sweat drop rolling down his temple. Which size did Aoko have? It was a hard question. She didn’t look too curvy to his eyes, but neither was she as flat as a board. In his despair he was ready to slide his palm down his face. Why did he even bother for crying out loud?!

“Okay, what is her complexion? Does she look like me?” the shop girl noticed the client’s stupor and hurried to give a helping hand.

Kaito glanced at her body. She was petite and too flat. Aoko had some forms after all. Khe, he held her naked in his arms during their first meeting on the rooftop. He _felt_ her softness back then.

“N-no, actually, she is a bit curvier,” there was a silly smile on his face along with a light shade of blush.

“Hmm, maybe cup B?” and a bra of the said cup appeared before his eyes. It was a baby-pink piece of cloth, decorated with innumerous ruche. Kaito felt all of his blood coming to his face for an urgent meeting.

“Yes! I think it’s the right size,” he blurted out, averting his gaze, which fell on a lovely design of pure-white undergarment. It caught his attention right away. “Do you have the same size for this model?”

The shop girl’s eyes followed his pointed finger and detected the product her client was interested in.

“Yes! It’s a new collection. We’ve received it this morning.”

Kaito was proud of himself. He was sure that he picked up the best lingerie for his guest, since it looked just as modest as she was. It was lacy, yes, but it didn’t look vulgar. It looked gentle and would suit a fragile girl like Aoko perfectly.

When he opened the door of his apartment and crossed the threshold, he was literary knocked out by the girl, who ran into his arms in a high speed.

“Oi, oi! Careful!”

Aoko hugged him tightly, laying her face on his chest. For a moment they just stood like that, with her clinging to him like there was no tomorrow, and him standing still unable to move from frustration and embarrassment. This girl was really strange. He had left her for several hours and look at her reaction now - she was trying to smother him with her tight hug.

“Where have you been?” finally he head her tiny voice.

“I’ve told you that I was going to bring you some clothes.”

She looked up at him and pouted her lips. Her eyes shone like always.

“Did you miss me?” an arrogant smile found its place on his face, as he relaxed in her embrace and shifted his weight to one leg.

“I want to be with you always. I was afraid you wouldn’t come back,” her explanations made him feel guilty and he didn’t know for what reason.

“But I told you that I would be back soon. You should trust me more, okay? Do you trust me?” the eagerness in his own tone surprised even him. Did he want to hear her positive answer that much?

Aoko smiled with her trade child-like smile and said in a light voice.

“It’s hard to do, when you are dressed like that, but I do trust you!”

Dressed like that? Oh, yeah! He was still wearing his disguise. Khe, he was sure that the composition they had created must look really weird - two girls hugging each other in a corridor and one of them had a guy’s voice. Kaito laughed sonorously and patted his guest’s head, for what he got a flash of shine in the eyes in return. 

After some explanations and practice, the lord of the house succeeded in his attempt of teaching the sapphire girl to dress up without his help. It was hard and nerving, not mentioning the whole embarrassment he felt during the whole lesson, but Aoko learnt how to put on the underwear he bought for her almost immediately. It was all thanks for the fact that he was dressed in the girls’ clothes himself. Aoko was a fast learner. But in order to show her the secrets of putting on the lingerie, he had to take off his own clothes and appear before her eyes in his bloody-red girls’ underwear he had kept for the heists. Never in his life did he feel greater humiliation than this day’s one. The only positive thing in this whole situation was that Aoko was absolutely unaware that their little circus wasn’t normal at all. To her it was a serious matter and she followed his instruction like a decent student.

The only problem she faced was the bra fastener. It was okay when he was showing her the method of putting up the underwear on her casual clothes. After he made sure that she was ready to repeat everything he said without his help, he had excused himself and left the room, giving the last instructions.

After some minutes she called out for him and Kaito - as proud as he can be - entered her room only to stop on his tracks with his jaw hitting the floor. She stood before his eyes only in that swan-white lingerie all innocent and fragile. Only now did he notice that she had all the curves on their right places and that her body had a wonderful shape of an ancient sculpture of a Greek goddess. But right now she was looking at him perplexedly while having her arms hidden behind her back.

“I can’t fasten it,” she voiced the problem. Her arms fell helplessly by both sides and the very bra was about to follow their example as it was ready to slip from her shoulders and open to Kaito’s view everything it was hiding up until this moment.

But KID’s reflexes worked their magic perfectly in time, as he collected his clouded mind in one grip and the next moment he was already standing behind the girl with both ends of the bra in his hands.

“I-it’s okay. You will soon get used to it. You need a little practice, that’s all.”

He didn’t recognize his voice. It sounded so rushed and unbelievably low. Kaito cleared his throat and looked at the result of his efforts.

“All done!” he said cheerfully and someway evidently wavering. For a normal guy like him it was a torture. Aoko was a nice girl, but she had absolutely no clue what she was doing to his nervous system. He had always lived his life with a credo - don’t ever touch a girl if you are not in love with her. He believed that he was doing just fine following that unwritten rule. But this troublesome sapphire had just shaken his ground and flipped his morality upside down.

Kaito face-palmed mentally. For the past few days he had been receiving lots of hugs from Aoko’s side. It was unnatural and weird to him, if not to say unlawful.

Meanwhile, the said girl was admiring her new “attire” in awe. The lacy white undergarments she was wearing looked gorgeous on her creamy skin. She squeaked in delight and spin around only to throw her slender arms around Kaito’s torso and hug him tightly.

There they were again. He didn’t know how to react anymore. Every time he did something for her, she would always thank him in her unique grabber-style. The previous day he treated her to a chocolate candy, which she liked so much that it had a paralyzing effect on her. But it lasted for a few second. After getting a portion of blinding sparks from her eyes and screams of excitement, he had found himself locked in a tight embrace of her arms with her being glued to his chest as something inseparable. 

But she was dressed that day for crying out loud! And now she was doing all those things while wearing nothing but lingerie!

Kaito wanted to cry. No matter how much he tried to convince Aoko not to hang on him, she would follow her style no matter what. Yet, a little part of his mind was telling him that she was just showing her gratitude through her bold actions.

“It’s so unusual! Thank you so much, Kaito!!! I have never worn anything as beautiful as these clothes!”

As if proving his thoughts she exclaimed in her cheerful melodic voice.

Absent-mindedly his hand lay on the top of her head, ruffling her messy hair even more. Her words warmed his heart a little. Actually, he had never given gifts to a girl before and getting such tremendous gratitude was really an endearing feeling.

“I am glad you like it,” Kaito answered with a soft smile on his lips. Suddenly, the whole awkwardness of the situation he had felt before vanished, when she looked up at him and sent him a broad child-like smile.

That moment Kaito realized that it was a pleasant feeling being rewarded for your efforts. Even if the reward was just a simple smile or a sincere ‘thank you’.

“But that’s not all. You need a dress, so hurry up and try the content of that box on. I will be waiting in the kitchen,” he said, pointing at the flat box on the bed. “And I hope you will be able to put it on without my help,” with those words he winked at her and got a crazy spark of blueness in the eyes in return.

While Aoko was struggling with the dress, Kaito left for his own room to get changed and prepare his things for the University. He had lectures in the afternoon. The events of the weekend seemed to last for months, though it had been only two days since he stole “the Beauty of the Seven Seas” and turned it into a girl with one dangerous weapon, which were her eyes. However, he was still hesitant about being the one who transformed her in a human being.

And he still had to find a way to put everything on their places again. But first things came first - it was Monday and there were lessons today and skipping them wasn’t in his plans.

He met her in the kitchen, where she sat at the table with a cheerful expression on her pretty face. Kaito noted that she coped with the task just fine - she was wearing a light, knee-length blue dress with short sleeves and a flower on the skirt, embroidered with sparkling beads. When he saw that dress in boutique, he was sure it would suit her well, but in reality it looked perfect on her. Blue colour was definitely her colour, no matter how cliché it sounded.

“You look lovely, Aoko,” Kaito complimented, walking into the kitchen and heading to the fridge to get some milk.

“Thank you,” she beamed. “You look wonderful too, Kaito. I like your current style more than that you were wearing in the morning.”

The guy needed some time to comprehend what she was talking about before it finally hit him. He had been dressed as a girl up until now. The realization made him laugh sonorously. Yeah, he liked himself more as a guy too.

“Yes, you are right,” he uttered between laughs. “Though, a certain someone was the main reason why I was dressed like that.”

“Really?” she exclaimed, clapping her hands in excitement. “Who?”

Kaito felt a heavy sweatdrop on his temple. Okay, she was still too naïve and innocent to get his jokes.

“Never mind. More importantly, I am going to leave you till the evening. I’ll be back by 7 p.m.” he said in a casual tone before taking a gulp of milk from a bottle.

Aoko’s face saddened. She knitted her brows in a deep thought while looking at him attentively. 

“I want to go with you.”

After hearing her statement Kaito almost chocked with the milk he was drinking.

“W-what?! Y-you can’t!”

“Why?” she tilted her head to the side inquiringly.

“Because it’s dangerous! Someone might see you!”

“But I want to go where you go,” she pursed her lips, crossing her arms on her chest.

Kaito ruffled his hair in a loss of words.

“Look. I am a student and I have to attend University every day. This is what my life is. But I promise to be back in the evening, okay?” he waited for her answer, but she continued to look at him with offended gaze. “I will bring something tasty for you, okay?” he added with a smile. “Just stay at home and wait for my return, will you?”

“But why can’t you take me with you?” she had finally uttered in a stubborn tone.

Kaito sighed and walked up to her, taking her hand in his and starting to massage the other side of her palm with his thumb. In his train of thoughts he didn’t even notice or give account to what he was doing.

“I can’t, Aoko. For the time being. You know that our situation isn’t normal. It’s too dangerous for you to show up in a public, especially with your shining eyes. Maybe someday I will take you outside, but not today, and especially not to the University.”

Their eyes met. Hers were sad but understanding, while his were thoughtful and distant. His brain worked on the problem 24/7, but there was still no result or any bright ideas of how to turn her into a gem again. He didn’t want to bring up this topic to her, since he had already learned that she didn’t want to get her natural form back. All he could do now was taking care of her and protect her until the day “X” would come.

“I understand…” she whispered softly. “I will wait for you then. Take care, Kaito.” 

And she smiled at him, and that smile was a real balsam to his heart.

“I promise to be back as soon as possible. Until then, you can use the Internet on my tablet just like I showed you before, okay? I am sure you will find lots of interesting things there.”

“Okay.”

They exchanged smiles and only now did Kaito notice that her small hand was still enclosed in his. The guy’s eyes widened in realization of his strange actions as he hastily let go of her hand and made several steps back.

“I better be going now, or else I’ll be late. See you in the evening, Aoko!”

With those words he dashed to the corridor, where he hurriedly put on his boots, took his suitcase and with last “Ja ne!” left the house.

Aoko tilted her head to the side in confusion as she saw him off while watching his uncharacteristic behavior. Kaito was such a strange yet funny person. Her lips spread into a wide soft smile as she remembered the sensation of his hands on her skin. More than anything else she liked feeling the touch of his magical hands. It brought back the memories of the night when she had turned into a human. She was lying in those same hands and felt nothing but happiness for the first time in her eternal gem’s life.

Aoko sighed dreamily, thinking about the person, who had awakened her from a deep sleep. She wanted him to come back as soon as possible, but all she could do for now was waiting for his return.

And so with a slightly sad feeling she headed to the living room, where Kaito had left his portative tablet.


	4. Chapter 4

When he sat down in his chair and laid his elbows on the desk there was only one frustrating thing on his mind – why did he started to search for a body contact with Aoko. Usually it was her, who had always jumped on him with her bear hugs. But this morning, just before leaving for the University, he absent-mindedly took her hand for consolation. It was a great shock to his stable outlook. That action came out naturally; he didn’t even have time to comprehend what he was doing. What was wrong with him anyway? The sapphire girl kept on shaking the ground under his feet and she was very good in that sphere. He didn’t trust his own instincts anymore.

With a heavy sigh Kaito plopped his chin on his knuckle and shifted his eyes to observe the surroundings. The lecture was about to begin and the students started to gather in the auditorium, which brought lots of distracting buzz and noise. But when his blue eyes detected the only object that was interesting to him, Kaito held his breath. There she was – the very object of his affection – the best student and the most beautiful and talented girl in the world.

Ran Mouri.

She had just entered the lecture-hall being accompanied by her annoying and extra curious friend Sonoko Suzuki. Nor Kaito Kuroba neither Kaito KID liked the girl. She was the Phantom Thief’s fan, alright, but she was also that old geezer Suzuki Jirokichi’s niece, which was really troublesome.

Not to mention, his antipathy was absolutely equal. Sonoko treated him like nobody. Kaito could only wonder at how sweet Ran ended up being best friends with that spoiled princess. 

But right now he had his eyes on the lovely girl with the most charming smile. She was chatting with her friend like she always did before lessons. And he would always watch her silently from afar, from his seat just several rows above hers. He had a long-lasting crush on Ran Mouri. They were students of the same faculty of law from the very beginning. He had always admired her keen insight and deduction. She was a noble ideal of a girl. Sweet, caring, beautiful Ran Mouri was everything a guy like him could dream about, if only there wasn’t just one snag to it…

The moment that thought had crossed his dreamy mind, he heard Sonoko’s teasing voice.

“Hey, Ran-chan, there is your hubby and his boring friend coming in our direction,” and she elbowed Ran’s side mockingly, which brought bright shade of red on the other girl’s cheeks.

“He is not my husband! We are not even engaged!” Ran exclaimed a little too loud to her own discomfort, since her words drew too much attention from the students.

Kaito’s eyebrow twitched as he watched the whole scene. A tall young man approached the chirping girls with a cheerful greeting.

“Hello, Ran, Sonoko,” he even made a small bow to them.

“Hello, Shinichi,” Mouri answered with a timid smile and a flush on her face.

“Yeah, hi there, Kudo-kun. We were just talking about you,” the wealthy girl smiled mischievously, glancing at her embarrassed friend.

“Oh, really?” the guy got surprised, watching as Ran’s red face was about to burst into flames.

“A-ha,” Sonoko kept on talking in her teasing tone.

“And, what was it all about?” Shinichi really wanted to know how he had been mentioned of, but a confident male’s voice behind him interrupted his train of thoughts.

“As a detective, you have to solve this mystery with your deduction, Kudo-kun. As far as I am concerned, I am sure they were talking about the possibility of your proposal to Mouri-san, am I right, Suzuki-san?”

A guy with sharp dark eyes and arrogant expression on his face looked pensively at the short-haired girl.

“No luck, blondie. You and your deduction will never win against women’s intellection, so give up on being so boring and all-knowing. It really pisses everyone off. And give me some space, will you?” Sonoko shooed him away, since he was leaning on her desk like a king of the auditorium. His attitude irritated the Suzuki’s heiress a lot! Maybe because he was too egotistical, or maybe he just reminded her of herself more than anyone else. 

“Actually, I have a name. Hakuba Saguru. I advise you to remember it, Sonoko-san. Who knows, maybe you will need my help in the near future,” the blond said in a low seductive voice, emphasizing the way he called the girl but her given name, which of course aggravated her to no limits.

With a straight face and the eyes filled with silent disdain, Sonoko took her smartphone and pushed some buttons without even looking at it, flipped through some pages and then she shoved the display into Hakuba’s smug face with a sense triumphalism. He blinked several times in unexpectedness before his eyes concentrated on a photo of a person wearing spectacles, which she was showing him.

“This man is the only one I will ever ask any help from, got it, blondie?” She held herself high and mighty while she was telling him that. “So I advise you to remember his name in case you might want to know in the future who has given you a black eye.”

Sonoko threw him a glance full of dignity and superiority.

“His name is Makoto Kyogoku and he is my **fiancé**.”

Kaito didn’t like Sonoko, but right now he had a strong wish to applause the girl for what she had done to that bastard Hakuba. He had never seen the over-arrogant detective with such a stupid mask of stupor and sheepish astonishment on his face. Kaito choked and then burst into a sonorous laughter, attracting the group’s attention to his person.

“May I ask what is so funny, Kuroba?” the blond detective asked in a dangerously low voice.

Everyone in the University knew about the rivalrous aspect of their friendship, if only it could be called a “friendship” in the first place. Saguru insisted that Kuroba Kaito was no one other than Kaito KID in one bottle, the latter pleaded not guilty to that statement. And thanks to the fact that the blond didn’t have enough evidence to confirm his deduction, Kaito could laugh in Hakuba’s face without holding back.

“Ah, don’t mind me, guys. I just appraised the show you have just performed. That was hilarious!” and he let out several laughs more before snapping his fingers. The next moment red roses appeared in Ran and Sonoko’s hands to their great amazement. When they both looked at the prankster quizzically, he smiled broadly at them and winked.

“Giving flowers for the wonderful actresses is the least I can do to express my admiration, ladies.”

It was true magic indeed, because the girls’ cheeks turned pink simultaneously. They got charmed with his unique way of treating girls.

Kaito didn’t even know how he managed to catch Ran’s attention and win that cute blush from her. Looking at her for a little too long that it was permissible, he suddenly felt his own face getting hotter.

“See? You better look up to Kuroba-kun and learn some good manners from him,” he heard Sonoko saying it in a lecturing tone. Perhaps, she continued arguing with Hakuba. Kaito didn’t care anymore. Right now he was unable to take his eyes off of the girl of his dreams. The way she brought the rose to her face and took in the floral scent painted in his heart with bright colours. Then she lifted her chin up and looked right at him with a soul-warming smile. Her melodic “Thank you, Kuroba-kun” made his heart beat twice faster; it pounded so strong that it was getting hard to breathe.

“Y-you are welcome,” he didn’t even recognize his own voice when he said those words – so much it was quavery and high to his own ears.

A loud clearing of someone’s throat interrupted their silent connection, bringing them both to reality. It was Kudo, who decided to take back Ran’s attention to his person. She hastily turned her head to face him, leaving Kaito to deal with his overwhelming emotions on his own.

“I just came to wish you to have a nice day. Now I need to go back to my auditorium before the lecture starts,” the guy with neatly combed hair said with a small smile.

“Oh, thank you for coming, Shinichi,” Ran’s lips bloomed into a beautiful smile, which reflected on the guy’s face as a deep blush. “Have a nice day too. See you after studying.”

“Y-yeah, see you later, Ran. Bye.”

“Leaving already?” Hakuba arched his eyebrow at Kudo, who had already headed towards the exit.

“Yes, because he is a smart boy unlike a certain someone, who is blocking my view,” Sonoko added smugly, boring a hole in the blond. “So, go on and follow Kudo-kun’s example. The lecture is about to start. I am sure your criminology professor won’t be pleased if two of his best students are late for the specialist subject.”

“Oh, Suzuki-san, are you worried about my humble person?” Hakuba asked in an affected style, flashing her a smile.

“A-ha,” the girl eyed him from head to foot indifferently, “dream on, boy.”

“Saguru-kun, we better be going, or else we will get in trouble of being late for sure,” Shinichi pointed at a clock on the wall, which showed that they had only three minutes left. To that Hakuba took out his expensive English watch from the pocket and with a self-satisfying smirk proclaim that the auditorium clock were incorrect and in reality there were still five minutes, forty seven seconds and thirteen milliseconds in their disposal before the lectures. The whole group including Kaito rolled their eyes.

Soon after the detective duo left, the busy day of studying jurisprudence started. Kaito wasn’t so fond of that sphere. He was more of a showman and joker. He dreamed of starting a career of a magician and give performances just like his famous father had done in the past before the Black Organization murdered him. But his mother told him that in order to protect himself from rascaldom during his upcoming career of a magician, he needed to know all the nuances of making contracts and signing them. That was why she insisted her beloved son on entering the University of Law. And he followed her persuasion. On the second year of studying Kaito had realized that the profession of jurist wasn’t just about getting good grounding in all the aspects of civil and criminal laws. The knowledge he was gaining during the studying process was taking him closer to the main goal of his life – finding his father’s killers. Now on his last year in the University he decided to know everything about laws and governmental justice. He wanted to catch those killers. After finding out that Pandora did no longer exist, his determination of becoming a top-class lawyer increased. If he didn’t avenge his father’s death as Kaito KID, he would do it as a legal expert.

His gaze fell on Ran for the innumerous time that day. His motives of becoming a lawyer were clear to him. But she had another story. No matter how hard it was to admit, but she was Kudo Shinichi’s girlfriend and, as far as he knew, they had been together since kindergarten. They studied at the same school and then entered the same University, but chose different faculties: she studied civil law, while Kudo dedicated himself to criminology. Ran was great in sports too. She was a black-belt in karate and also well-trained in Judo. She was a loyal person, who followed her boyfriend to this University in order to be close to him. She was a peak of perfection to Kaito eyes. When he saw her for the first time – and it happened on the first day of their University lives – he realized that the girl made her spectacular and unforgettable appearance into his heart. But then he noticed that she wasn’t alone. A guy ran in her direction and waved his hand. When he approached her, he took her into a tight embrace. Some days later Kaito learnt that it was Shinichi Kudo – Ran Mouri’s love interest and already a great detective in his young age. And on that first day in the University they had met each other after being separated for months due to some urgent cases Kudo had had to solve. 

Ironically or not, but Shinichi happened being Kaito’s distant relative, but he really didn’t know much about him, since their parents were not that close. All Kaito knew was that he and Shinichi were third cousins. But such kindred were so complicated that he didn’t really try to stuff his head with useless information. The funniest fact of this entire situation was their resemblance. One could even confuse them. Was it a joke of fate or just a trick of genetics? Kaito didn’t know, but he wasn’t that fond of the fact that Shinichi Kudo had almost the same appearance as he had. That statement made Kuroba’s eyebrow twitch in annoyance every time he looked at the guy with neatly combed hair. To Kaito’s eyes only bumpkins wore such stupid hairstyles. 

But no matter how ridiculous it could look, the main point was obvious anyway. Ran Mouri, the girl Kaito loved with his heart, would never look at him the way she looked at Shinichi, even if he was as like as two peas with Kudo. All he could do was watching her from afar and have little meaningless chit-chats with her regarding studying. That was all, but also that was so much and dear to Kaito. Except the noisy part Sonoko always made. That girl really had a big mouth, just like her wealthy uncle’s. Yet, thanks to that mouth of hers he could get the hot-news about the private collections of gems in the world of wealthy people. Being Kaito KID that kind of information was highly appreciated. If only Sonoko-san could know how useful she could be sometimes. Just like now.

Kaito’s ears pricked up, when he heard the girl’s voice, addressing to her friend.

“Ah, yesterday uncle Jirokichi decided to challenge KID-sama again. He is bursting with anger since KID-sama still hasn’t returned his sapphire, like he always did. I wonder why he didn’t do it this time.”

A heavy sweatdrop appeared on Kaito’s temple. Why, she asked? Well, he could consider returning the “Beauty of the Seven Seas” back to her owner, but he doubted that Suzuki Jirokichi would ever believe that the girl with shining eyes was indeed his precious stone.

“As far as I happen to know Kaito KID, he is a man of his words. He always follows his code of honour. If he hasn’t returned the sapphire, he may have some really weighty reasons,” Ran answered thoughtfully while flipping through her notebook.

Ah, the girl was an angel in disguise. Kaito felt like drooling. Ran’s logic was an iron one. His heart was about to sing when he heard her words of protecting his alter-ego, but then she said something, that cooled all of his excitement. 

“Though, it still doesn’t justify his behavior as a thief,” Mouri added nonchalantly, glancing at her watch. “One last lecture to go, and we are free.”

“A-ha, someone craves for going on a date with their hubby,” came the teasing response from the wealthy princess, which made the long-haired girl’s face flush. 

“Sonoko!” she exclaimed in embarrassment but received a portion of laughter in return.

Kaito watched the scene the whole time and the wonderful mood that started to bloom inside of him after Ran’s words of protection had shattered and broke into hundreds of pieces. Well, The Phantom Thief would always be a thief to people’s eyes, no matter how gallant he was.

But that was not the only thing that upset him. Every time he heard or witnessed Ran’s eagerness to meet Kudo, he understood for the innumerous time how distant she was to him and how illusory the possibility to become any closer to her was.

In that dark state of mood he listened to the last lecture and left the University. Walking down the busy streets of Tokyo the guy was thinking about the situation the life had placed him in. He was in love with a girl, who had a boyfriend. That boyfriend was just five minutes away of becoming her fiancé. Not to mention, that Kudo Shinichi was a detective, who was after Kaito KID.

Yeah… life was full of positive things, they say.

Now Kaito had to quit being the Phantom Thief, since the necessity of finding Pandora had been canceled by the gem’s sister. The very sister was living in his house right now and had a human’s form. She refused to gain her natural form back, explaining her motives in a very simple way – she wanted to be with him, since she had never met anyone like him before.

The guy stopped in the middle of the street and stood like that for some time just thinking. Judging by Sonoko’s words, her unwearied uncle was going to challenge KID again. It was interesting what he was up to this time. But at the same time… he didn’t have any reasons to participate in the old geezer’s games anymore. That meant that Kaito KID wouldn’t show up at the heist again, which would bring lots of chaos into the world of media. He had never declined challenges after all. But right now he didn’t have any desire to fulfill people’s expectations and Suzuki Jirokichi’s egoism. Kaito’s life had stood upside down after Aoko appeared in it. Now he felt like a person, who had lost the right path. He didn’t know what to do or believe anymore. How was he going to find the Black Organization if he quit being the Phantom Thief? But then again, risking his life while entering the scene as KID and knowing that there would be no Pandora for sure didn’t bring much confidence either. It seemed that he had to punish those murderers with other methods. Right now he wasn’t sure what exactly he must do to make them pay for their villainy, but he would definitely find the way.

After all, it was all thanks to Aoko he was so confident that the tears of Pandora wouldn’t fall in the clutches of the Black Organization. For that he could be absolutely composed. But they woldd keep on seeking for the artifact no matter what, and it meant that they wouldn’t stop even if it meant stealing another innocent life away.

Kaito clenched his fists in despair. He had to think of a way to get those killers behind the bars.

Just then, when his thoughts were getting darker and darker, two random girls walked past him while having a light conversation.

“My dad brought a chocolate cake yesterday. It was so tasty!” one of the girls exclaimed with enthusiasm.

“Really? I love chocolate cakes! Where did he buy it?” the other girl asked in excitement.

“At Tadashi’s Bakery.”

That very moment, Kaito felt his mind been struck by a lightning. How could he forget about the cake! He had promised Aoko to bring her something tasty that morning, and he had almost forgotten about his promise. Her sad face was the last thing he wanted to see, when coming home.

So, the guy trotted to that bakery the girls had mentioned of some minutes ago. He glanced at his watch, which showed that he had no more than fifteen minutes left before the promised hour. He told Aoko that he would be back at 7 p.m. and he was going to be so late. What a liar he was after all!

After visiting the bakery, he made his shortcut towards his sweet home. When he opened the door and entered the corridor, Kaito felt a hard impact as Aoko ran into him in high speed. But something was not right, he noted mentally. The girl squeezed him in her arms like she always did, but there were no signs of that light and merry atmosphere she radiated every time she hugged him. Only when he heard a tiny dinging sound against the floor, Kaito tried to comprehend what was going on. He looked down and saw some blue beads lying on the parquet of the corridor. He didn’t understand where they had appeared from, but the next moment he felt Aoko’s shoulders trembling.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked finally in concern, thinking that he needed some explanations.

The girl looked up at him with teary eyes, which freaked him out pretty badly. He didn’t like when women cried, because he had no clue how to treat them. When his mother cried it meant doom to him.

“W-why are you crying, Aoko?!”

She let out another sob before uttering in a wavering voice.

“You were late and I was so worried. You said that you would be back by 7 p.m. but…” and more tears rolled down her glittering eyes. The moment the little tears slid down her chin, Kaito heard another dinging sound, but right now he didn’t pay attention to it, since the sapphire girl was crying because he was half an hour late.

“Aoko, please,” he let out a sigh of relief. Actually he was worried that something bad might have happened to her during his absence. “You don’t have to react that way. I am sorry, that I am late, but it’s not that terrible. I could have got in a traffic jam or my studies could last longer,” he tried to explain in a soothing tone, but the girl kept on whining while still holding him in her arms.

“I thought you wouldn’t come back.”

For that statement he just chuckled.

“How could I? I promised you to be back. Look, I brought you something very delicious. I always keep my promises,” Kaito smiled at her kindly and lifted his left hand to show her a box from the bakery.

Aoko sniffed again and then breathed out slowly. Her eyes showed a shadow of interest as she looked at the box. 

“You brought it for me?” she asked him in a melodic voice, shifting her gaze to his face.

“Exactly. You were a good girl and you waited for me. This is your little reward,” he explained with a broad smile. “Now, let’s dry your tears and have some dinner. I am starving.”

Her face lit up instantly. She gifted him with a child-like smile – so open and virginal it was – that Kaito held his breath. All the troubles of the day, all the gloominess of his unrequited love had vanished into thin air when Aoko looked at him like that and smiled. It was silly to even think, but with this girl by his side he felt needed. Or should he say that it was her, who needed him?

The single thought of being a person, who could give his care to someone and get their sincere gratitude in return was beyond pleasant. It warmed his heart and made him forget the hardships he had faced before.

His lips curved into a soft smile as he reached his hand to wipe away her tears. Aoko leaned in for the touch of his fingers, but then got confused by the shocked expression on his face.

Kaito’s eyes widened in disbelieve when the girl’s tears turned into little round sapphires on his palm.

“W-what does it mean?” he uttered slowly and looked down on the floor. Somehow, his intuition was telling his that the dinging sound wasn’t just his imagination. And that was right. Kaito spotted several blue crystals scattered on the floor. They looked exactly like the little beads on his palm.

He returned his gaze on the confused girl and blinked several times, for which she tilted her head to the side in total commotion.

“Did you know that your tears are made of pure sapphires, Aoko?” she heard him say in that strange serious voice, that was so uncharacteristical to his lively nature.

“No…I guess?” she offered him an apologetic smile before adding hastily. “Please, don’t worry about the mess. I will pick them up.”

“It’s not about the mess…” he whispered with a heavy sigh and placed his eyes on her firmly yet graciously. “How many secrets do you still keep?”

“I don’t know…I am sorry,” Aoko’s face fell and she looked away, stepping backwards and releasing him from her warm embrace.

“It’s not your fault, I guess.”

Kaito didn’t like the way their conversation was developing. He didn’t want to see her upset either. For some reason, it made him feel guilty.

“Hey,” he caught her by the wrist and won her attention again as she sent him a curious yet sad look. “It’s alright. I mean, crying sapphire tears. Heh, it makes you even more unique than you already are, Aoko. You are really something else.”

His tone was kind and it held a shade of his trademark gentleness, and his lips were offering a welcoming smile. The girl beamed instantly, forgetting about all her sorrows. Her eyes lit up so much, that it gained the blinding effect again, which didn’t forget to show its power to Kaito right away.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed, blocking his eyes with the box, which he was still holding in his left hand. “That’s the Aoko I know! All shiny and blinding, ha-ha.”

They exchanged a laugh of joy, which brought content to their hearts.

After picking up Aoko’s precious tears and putting them into a special jewelry box, the young people started preparing everything for the dinner. It didn’t take long to finally sit at the table and share the meal they had cooked together. Aoko was a fast learner, she had watched Kaito cook several times before and now she was capable of doing it herself. It wasn’t anything extraordinary – just a simple omelet and sausages, which were the fastest they came up with.

The atmosphere in the kitchen was light and pleasant as they ate. After the “main dish” it was tea time. Kaito sliced two pieces of the chocolate cake he brought and put them on the plates. 

Aoko’s mouth watered just by looking at the soft pastry. And when she tried the dark piece, her eyes shone unbelievably bright. The cake was melting in her mouth and she let out a sound of total bliss.

“You like it that much?” Kaito asked with a chuckle. “Well, it’s not that bad at all, but my mom used to bake chocolate cakes a lot yummier than this one,” he put a small piece into his mouth, savoring the flavor and texture. “Yeah. I really miss her baking. I wish I could eat something as delicious as her chocolate cakes again,” it was said with a nostalgic smile, as the guy’s dreamy gaze was glued to his spoon full of dark mass.

Aoko watched him carefully, while slowly chewing her piece of cake. To her eyes, Kaito seemed to be a lonely person. He didn’t talk much about his life, but she heard him mentioning his mother quite often. The girl didn’t know where the woman was right now and why she left her son alone. She just hoped that maybe someday he would tell her more about his family and himself. For the time being, Kaito gave an impression of a cool, aloof guy with a sensitive heart and lonesome soul. She wanted to do something to cheer him up, but she really didn’t know what exactly she should do.

But she would find out how to make him happy no matter what. He was the only person, whose gentle touches brought her so much pleasure, whose velvet voice made her heart flutter and whose deep-blue eyes with a hint of inner sadness gave her a strong wish to bring him the same joy and happiness he was gifting her with from the very moment they first met as a thief and a precious gem.

Maybe the endless centuries of her life weren’t as meaningless as she had always thought after all…


End file.
